stars. Before she knew it, she had forgotten her ailments and was softly singing to the pretty stars. (It is so much better to sing than to grumble when anything is the matter with you.) Of course the children had to learn the song that she sang "Twinkle, twinkle, little star!" (Page 39.) The song made Jane feel so much better that she fell asleep and dreamed a very pretty dream, in which Aunt Jane sat in the crescent moon as though it were a swing. She was dressed in a flowing Japanese dress and the moon was smiling at her, "while the stars looked on and wondered." A picture of Jane's funny dream was at hand (issued by the Star Soap Company). In the morning Jane awoke, "Refreshed by Gentle Slumbers," and, strangely enough, that was the very song they opened with in Jane's school that morning, so, of course, the children must learn that, too. (Page 19.)

A certain page in the primer presented the pictures of two dogs, of whom it was announced respectively, "This is Snap. He is cross. He will bite," and "This is Fido. He is kind. He will not bite." These two important characters were nowhere connected with the children in the book The class exploring the primer long before they could read its print, to get acquainted with its little people and practice the correct use of irregular verbs, decided that snap must be Frank's dog, and Fido undoubtedly belonged to Tom. Snap had never learned to be gentle, If he had been a child instead of a little dog he might have learned a very pretty song about gentleness, beginning: "Speak gently; it is better far, To rule by love than fear." (Page 40.) The children learned it. Fido was a gentle dog, but he had another fault, so mean, the bookmaker didn't like to tell about it. His kind master would sometimes call to him "Come, come, my pretty Fido!" and he would answer selfishly and ungratefully. (Song, page 103.)

Conversations about pets led to the development of the song, "I've a litte dog at home and he loves me," etc. (page 56), and later to the fact that Tom had a very funny pet, a wooden hobby-horse, which he used to ride very hard, singing, “Go and never stop!" (Page 91.)

The teacher regarded music as a language of the emotions, and tried to have it express something for her pupils. It was but a strained attempt that she could make, within her iron limitations, but she regarded such an attempt as better than none at all.

"The Spring Chick" was a near relative of the captive hen, and the little girl who held it in her hands was Jane's cousin May. All of the "language work," writing, busy work and singing, and much of the "observation work" and arithmetic were thus made tributary to the reading lessons. Even the drawing, which might have been alive with interest and a powerful ally, could it have dealt with the same subjects, made a pale effort in that direction. When the children were compelled

to divide their slates into four equal parts and occupy each with a square, an oblong, a triangle or a circle, it was Frank and Joe making gardens ! Small chance of making drawing a means of expression !

In learning to write the names of their little friends from the primer, the children learned to write many of their own. This also was a requirement of the grade, though the teacher put it off as long as she safely could, for some of their surnames were very comprehensive mysteries. The continued story of this five months' term closed with a prediction that the pupils would meet the same well-known characters or their relations in the next class and an invitation to send the news to their first teacher in a nice little letter whenever this proved true.—Common School Education.

Educational Suggestions.*

BY DR. FRANCIS L. PATTON, PRESIDENT OF PRINCETON COLLEGE.

The question is often raised as to whether or not this great amount of reading of books on pedagogy is not overdoing the matter, and whether better results would not follow from practical demonstration. Do not teachers often waste their forces in this manner?

The first qualification of a teacher is to bring to his work a large personality. Bring that qualification and enter on the work of teaching in earnest, and a moderate amount of other qualifications will often suffice, and bring successful results. In discussing education, the larger problems must be looked at before the smaller ones. Society or civilization is a growth-an organizing of increasing forces. The society of to-day is very different from that of five hundred years ago. There has been a decided upward movement in the growth of man, notwithstanding that at first it was downward. I believe in the primeval purity of the race, but that did not make Adam understand the powers and forces which have been discovered since this day, or make Eve understand the running of a sewing machine. We may accept the facts of the development of society from Adam without conflicting with our religious belief.

It is now the custom to take a child, and in the period of eighteen years, from the age of six to twenty-four, to reproduce in him and appropriate for his use the entire civilization of the age in which he lives, which has required the labors and developments of four or five thousand years to produce. This is requiring a great deal of the teacher, but far more of the child.

*Abstract of a recent address at Trenton, N. J.

Regarding the question of how the child is to be brought into relation with the civilization in which he is born, a great deal is due to heredity. People may ridicule the idea of aristocracy of birth, but it would be curious if a law holds good in the lower orders of animals and then fails in regard to the human race. The voice, the language, the thought, is often strikingly reproduced in the offspring. The best way to teach a child grammar is to provide him with a good father and mother. It is a difficult matter to teach the proper use of language to a child who has first learned incorrectly. Take a cultivated man, one who by application has acquired a correct use of language. He may write his thoughts. absolutely correctly, but let him but talk, and as his thoughts come fast he will almost invariably at times make the mistakes which he acquired in his first expression of thought. His mistakes are the effects of his struggle over early conditions and rules.

The environments have much to do with the production of broadminded, broad-browed and unconventional men. Such men acquire more by rubbing against men than the narrow-minded in going through college. They appropriate for themselves the best attributes of society.

Men get more from their relations with civilization than by education, in adapting means to the end. It is wrong to compel children to write compositions as soon as they can write. Form is of but little moment, and beautiful expressions fall flat if the ideas are lacking. In education the main feature is to teach ideas. It is an effort to apply means to ends. Education comes behind the developments of civilization and picks up the efforts of genius which appear on every side.

As education increases the curriculum of the school enlarges, but the purpose and end at which we aim should not be lost. There are now apparently two views regarding education: one, that it is theoretical, disciplinary; the other, utilitarian. Education should teach the child to take the place or station in the world to which he shall be called. The teacher's duty is to bring the child into sympathy with the existing civilization. This brings up the big question of the various degrees of education. It is an easy matter to criticise our colleges, but they have been built up as the result of the civilization and education of our country, and therefore we must accept them. There are two systems by which education may be attained, by the public schools and colleges, and private institutions. Their work is parallel, but there should be a closer

relation between them.

If a boy is ever to be a student, or ever to be accurate in life, it must be developed in the first and second stages of his education, and the teacher who has charge when he learns to spell and read and cipher is the one who is making the boy's future. For when he possesses the knowledge of these subjects, he possesses knowledge of accuracy of form and processes of the mind which, if not learned here, never will be.

There is a tendency to introduce new subjects which might be left out, and allow the more important branches to be neglected. No matter how brilliant a man may be, a misspelled word takes away from our estimate of him.

Children go to school too late. There is no reason why a boy should be eight years old before he can read, or eighteen years old before he is ready to enter college. This is due to the fault or carelessness of parents. The child should be taught facts early in life, while the reason is sleeping. A boy has no business to think, but by the time he is twelve years old the reason gets ahead of memory, and up to that time his memory should be given all it can do, and the facts that are learned will not be forgotten, but will lay the foundation for accurate scholarship. Don't teach a child to think, but give him something to work on. Give him something to memorize; not useless material, but salient truths. In teaching the History of the United States, it is useless for the child. to memorize the details of every battle, but it is essential that he should have an understanding of the events of Europe which have a bearing upon our history. Let the child from seven to seventeen learn the great facts of history from the founding of Rome to the Declaration of Independence, and in after years the eras will stand distinct, upon which he shall build up the fuller knowledge.-Journal of Education.

Educational Notes from Abroad.

Peru.-Elementary education is compulsory for both sexes, and is free in the public schools that are maintained by the municipalities. High schools are maintained by the government in the capitals of the departments, and in some provinces pupils pay a moderate fee. There is in Lima a central university called "Universidad de San Marcos," the most ancient in America; its charter was granted by the Emperor Carlos V; it has faculties of jurisprudence, medicine, political science, theology, and applied science. Lima possesses a school of mines and civil engineering, created in 1874, with good collections and laboratories. There are, in the capital and in some of the principal towns, private high schools under the direction of English, German, and Italian teachers. Lima has also a public library with a rich collection, besides the one of the university and school of mines. There are two minor universities at Cuzco and Arequipa.

Roumania.-Education is free and compulsory "wherever there are schools," but is still in a very backward condition. There are about 3,000 primary schools with 130,000 pupils, or about 2 per cent. of the population (in Great Britain the proportion is 12.3 per cent). There are 8 normal schools with Soo pupils; 54 high schools with 8,000 pupils; 2 universities (Bucharest and Jassy) with faculties in law, philosophy, science, and medicine, and having about 100 professors and teachers and 800 students.

Russia, Finland.-In 1889 Finland had 1 university with 1,703 students; I polytechnic, 132 students; 16 classical high schools (12 State), 3,218 pupils; 16 high schools, without senior classes, 1,402 pupils; 27 modern high schools, 1,051 pupils; 52 girls' schools, 4,057 pupils; 971 primary schools and kindergartens with 62,893 pupils; 4 normal schools with 563 pupils. There are besides 7 navigation schools with 113 pupils; 6 commercial schools with 162 male and 135 female pupils; 32 Sunday professional schools with 2,111 pupils; 2 agricultural institutes, 9 agricultural and 14 dairy schools with 257 male and 148 female pupils; 18 trade schools with 1,220 pupils.

Orange Free State, Africa.-The system of education in this Republic is national. Small grants are also made to the Episcopal and Roman Catholic Churches. The government schools are, managed by elected local boards, which choose the teachers who are appointed by the President, if he is satisfied with their qualifications. Education is not compulsory nor free, except for very poor children. In 1890 17,000l. was allotted to education, being a portion of interest on a capital of 200,000l. set apart by the "Volksraad" for this purpose. In 1889 there were 49 government schools, inclusive of the two higher schools and the infant school at Bloemfontein, with 2,139 pupils and 74 teachers. Grants are made to private schools on certain conditions. In 1889 there were 14 such schools with 211 pupils. The Grey College, the highest school for boys, prepares candidates for the matriculation examination of the Cape University; there is a similar school for girls.

At the census of 1880 only 1,080, or 2.6 per cent., of the white population above seven years of age could not read nor write, while 3,864 could only read. There is a good public library in Bloemfontein, and small libraries in several villages.

There is a government Gazette, one daily, and one bi-weekly, and one weekly paper.

Persia. There are a great number of colleges (medresseh) supported by public funds in which students are instructed in religion and Persian and Arabic literature, as well as in a certain amount of scientific knowledge; and many schools for children, while private tutors are very common, being employed by all families who have the means. A polytechnic school, with a number of European professors, opened in Teheran forty years ago, has done much towards introducing the knowledge of Western languages and science into Persia. There are also military colleges at Teherân and Tabriz. But the bulk of the population are taught only to read the Koran.

The Value of Reading.

The reading of good books is of great value.

It is education. An educated man has simply read more and retained the results better than others. He may have done this in school, at college, or at home, midst favorable or unfavorable surroundings. Any one who can read and has ambition, can educate himself to any degree he pleases.

The first good book, read intelligently, is the "open sesame " of all future